Page 15 of Crimes, Conspiracies, and Courtship (Paddy’s Peelers Mystery #1)
CHAPTER 14
Mid-December
Seven Dials, St. Giles
C olvin left his carriage, conferred with his toad waiting on a corner, and then both men continued on foot. Something wasn’t right. The duke was making it easy—too easy. Besides the change from hackney to his own coach, there was an urgent air to him tonight. He followed the duke at a discreet distance, who followed his accomplice, and glanced across the street to be sure Darby was still there. Two ladies of the evening had tried to engage him, but the earl had deftly sidestepped them.
The duke’s black cape and beaver hat faded into the misty night, only his silver cane tip flashing occasionally in the fog, like a tiny blinking beacon that kept their target within sight. The street narrowed; the local stores were dark now, the windows shuttered. As the buildings began to crowd together, taller structures bent against each other and tilted over the filthy streets and alleys.
Garishly clad women loitered against slimy walls, their attributes spilling out of their stained or frayed bodices, yellow smiles and crooked teeth flashing him as he kept a steady pace. A mangy dog scratched his ear, then scurried away from the kicks of a group of boys ambling down the street. A drunk stopped in front of him, tottering before he caught his balance, then pissed against the doorframe of a shop. This was St. Giles—a rookery, a slum.
The stench of rotting food, then human waste, grew more and more foul before Colvin turned into an alley. The toad, keeping a distance in front of the duke, stopped at a back entrance. He spoke with someone, then approached the duke, and they both entered the flash house.
Darby soon joined Walters in the shadows. “I’ll go in, my lord, and see what he’s up to. I have someone working on the inside, who may be able to gain access easier than me.”
Walters hoped all was going well with Nora. But knowing Clayton was also inside gave him comfort. Gus had wanted to come, but the man was so big he’d attract attention. If anything ever happened to one of his siblings…
The Peelers and the Runners had informants in all the rookeries. When he was a Runner, he’d frequented these places, so he knew these streets and alleys well. He’d spoken with one of his old “acquaintances” who knew of Colvin’s nighttime routine in this particular flash house.
The duke’s visits were weekly. He asked for a private room and brought his own bottle. Then he would sit at a table and look over the young shirtless boys. He would send away any with scars or indications they’d been regularly beaten. Then choosing several, he would ask questions. His informant hadn’t been able to hear what was asked because the duke spoke so softly.
Walters entered the tavern, smoke from the hearth filling the poorly ventilated room. The stench of unwashed bodies assaulted his nostrils. There were at least a dozen women working, two leading clients up the stairs to private rooms, others serving drinks. He spotted Clayton, singing with a trio of men, and his head ever so slightly nodded toward the opposite corner.
He followed the direction to see Nora, wearing a wig of white-blond curls and a low-cut red corset with sequins that caught the candlelight. She winked at a customer, who patted her arse, and she responded with a slap to his hand. The men at the table laughed, and she sashayed away.
Nora came up next to him, grinned at him, and patted his cheek. He bent close to her ear and said, “You’re enjoying this too much.”
She laughed, then bent over a nearby table to collect some empty bumpers for washing. “He’s gone,” she said in a sing-song voice. “In and out, just as quick as you please.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure he’d heard and was satisfied with his nod.
“Get yourself out of here now. I’ll let Pierce know we’re done for tonight.”
So his hunch had been right. The evening had been a ruse. To what end?
After a brief word as he passed by Clayton, he made his way out the back door to the alley. Turning the corner, he saw a man behind Darby, pointing a pistol at the earl’s head. Walters pulled his own pistol and moved swiftly along the shadowed wall.
He smiled when the earl bent forward and then back with a crack . Head connected with head, and the footpad stumbled backward. Before Walters could assist, Darby threw a punch, catching the ruffian’s jaw. The man was stunned but held firm. It took two more facers to set him to wobbling.
“Demmed stubborn rat,” mumbled Walters, approaching the footpad from behind. He raised the butt of his pistol and brought it down on the man’s crown.
“Colvin’s gone. I think this was his purpose tonight.” Walters nodded at the unconscious form and bent to pick up the ruffian’s pistol. “I thought the sound of a shot might bring too much attention. What did he want?”
“A warning to leave off the duke. I milled his canister well enough before you fibbed him.” Darby winced, rubbing the back of his head as he looked at the unconscious man. “I’m not complaining, mind you. I forgot how much that can hurt.”
“I don’t think we should linger here, my lord. Let’s continue this conversation elsewhere.” He tossed a grin over his shoulder and secured his weapon as they made their way out of the alley. “Preferably an establishment with decent ale.”
They retraced their steps, out of the rookery, and to the hackney waiting for Darby. The earl beckoned him inside. When the driver moved forward, Darby took out a flask and handed it to Walters.
“He will go back to his old way, stalking gently bred ladies, if I continue my pursuit. I’m afraid his message is that he will go after my sister or Miss Pendleton.”
Walters seethed inside, but he let out a whistle instead. “A noxious leech, ain’t he?”
Darby grunted. “We need to remain diligent. I don’t want any innocent victims, but I can’t give up. This pustule on humanity must be stopped. Any suggestions?”
“Aye, and aye. First off, leave the rookery to me. If I set a new man on him, he may think he’s scared you off.” Walters chuckled. “He’s just arrogant enough to believe it.”
“While I hate leaving all the dirty work to you, it may be the safest plan to keep the ladies out of danger.”
“We’re making him nervous if he’s resorting to threats. Good sign, I think.” The cab rolled to a stop in front of the Guinea, and Walters stepped out.
“Thank you for your help. You have been indispensable.” Darby held out his hand, and Walters shook it.
“Think nothing of it, my lord. I’ll keep in touch in the usual fashion.”
* * *
Walters stood again in the shadows behind Darby’s house, leaning against a corner of the mews. He shouldn’t be here. It was his third time this week. The threat of Colvin even considering harm to those under Darby’s protection chilled him to the bone. And tore at his heart.
Mattie was in there somewhere, behind those cold stone walls. Did she think of him? Did she hate him? Would he ever have the chance to speak to her again, see the excitement in her sky-blue eyes, hear the lilt of her voice as she said his name, or touch the silky flaxen tresses? No. He needed to push her from his mind. An impossible feat. She was made to be remembered, adored, cherished.
* * *
Mattie stood at the side of her window, peeking behind the curtain. She should be in bed, but she couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t close her eyes knowing he was down there. Her heart screamed to run to him, throw her arms around him, tell him it made no difference who his parents were or where he was born.
It would be folly. They were doing the right thing, what was expected of them, though no one knew their secret. No one who could impose a censure or punishment. Besides, she and Harry—it’s what she called him in her dreams—were both paying the consequences already. They were apart.
Would she ever hear his laugh again? Feel the heat rush through her when those dark-chocolate eyes hungrily scanned her face?
She loved him, and he had ruined her for other men. Instead, Mattie would choose someone she liked, whom she could be friends with, and try to find a way to be happy. As she had the last two times he’d kept watch over her, she blew him a kiss that he would never feel.
When he pushed away from the stable and disappeared down the alley, a piece of her heart went with him. If he kept these vigils, she would have no heart left at all.